2 local 6A boys basketball teams qualify for state: one a mainstay, the other tourney newcomer

EASTERN IDAHO — Two local 6A team earned spots in the 2025 Boys Basketball State Championships.

One of those teams, the Madison Bobcats, were expected to be there. The other, the Thunder Ridge Titans, will play in the first state tournament in program history.

Madison will open the tournament as the No. 3 seed, and play six-seed Boise. Thunder Ridge opens as the seven-seed, and will face No. 2-seed Lake City.

The state tournament begins Thursday, with games at six different venues scheduled to start at noon, 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Winners will advance into the semifinal round, while losers will continue to play in hopes of claiming a consolation finish.

Here is a preview of the 6A tournament:

BOISE BRAVE
Record: 11-14
State seed: #6; District 3 runner-up
Coach: Manny Varela, 10th season
Players to watch: G Isaac Thacker, so.; G Luke Soltau, jr.; G Will Gebert, jr.; W Michael Nance, sr.
Notes: First trip to state since 2021. … Starts one senior, the 6-8 Nance, who has signed with Dickinson State (NAIA) and led the SIC in blocks (1.6 per game) for the second straight year. … Lost its final four regular-season games before mounting an underdog run as the No. 9 seed at the district tournament, reaching the championship game. … Unranked in the final state media
poll. … Ranks 17th out of 20 teams in 6A by scoring 51.2 points per game and 11th in points allowed (54 ppg). … 4-7 vs. 6A state qualifiers. … Thacker leads the team in scoring (13.6 ppg), followed by Soltau (11.8 ppg, 3.8 assists), Gebert (9.8 ppg, 5.7 rebounds) and Nance (7.5 ppg, 6.7 rebounds). … Last won a state tournament trophy in 1997, when it finished third. … Won
five state titles, the last in 1986. … Last reached the finals in 1991.

BORAH LIONS
Record: 11-13
State seed: #8; District 3 third/fourth-place
Coach: Jeremy Dennis, ninth season
Players to watch: F Dylan Luekenga, sr.; G Colton Dennis, sr.; G Hendrix Castro, so.; F Cordell Sparks, sr.
Notes: First trip to state since 2020, when it won the second of back-to-back titles. … Cinderella team that started the season picked to finish last in the 12-team 6A SIC for the second year in a row. The Lions entered district as the No. 11 seed riding a five-game losing streak after losing its emotional leader, Ayden Melendez, to a knee injury. But Borah shocked the SIC by winning three of four district games to secure a state berth. … Ranks 19th out of 20 teams in 6A with 49.9 points per game, and 10th in points allowed (54 ppg). … 2-6 vs. 6A state qualifiers. … Unranked in the final state media poll. … No player averages more than 10 points per game. Borah instead relies on multiple contributors like Luekegna (9.6 ppg, 5.1 rebounds), Castro (8.3 ppg), Dennis (7.7 ppg) and Sparks (5.8 ppg). … Won 13 state titles, tied with Lapwai for the most in Idaho history.

LAKE CITY TIMBERWOLVES
Record: 19-4
State seed: #2; District 1 champ
Coach: James Anderson, second season
Players to watch: G Reese Strawn, sr.; G Cason Miller, sr.; P Josh Watson, jr.; F Jordan Carlson, so.
Notes: Timberwolves are at state for the sixth straight season, with four returning starters from last year’s consolation trophy winners. Strawn (18.5 points, 5 assists per game) and Miller (11.5 points, 10 assists per game) are four-year varsity players who were key reserves on Lake City’s undefeated state champions in 2023 — the first state title in program history, in its third title game appearance. … Carlson, son of former North Idaho College women’s basketball coaches Chris and Carey Carlson, is averaging 16.5 points per game. … Watson, cousin of former Gonzaga great Anton Watson, is averaging 9.5 points and 6 rebounds per game. … Lost to Owyhee by 20 points and to Madison by 12 at a tournament at Owyhee in December. … Ranked third in the final state media poll.

MADISON BOBCATS
Record: 21-2
State seed: #3; District 4-5-6 champ
Coach: Shane Humphreys, fourth season
Players to watch: G Nash Humpherys, sr.; F Carter Lerwill, sr.
Notes: Fifth straight district championship and state tournament appearance. … Finished third at state last season. … Won eight state titles, the last in 2011 in what’s now the 5A classification. … Dominated their conference, finishing with an 8-0 record in league play. … Suffered two losses — to Coeur d’Alene and Shelley — by a combined nine points. … Won district tournament games against Canyon Ridge and Thunder Ridge by 29 and 20 points, respectively. … No. 2 team in the 6A classification in the final media poll. … Humpherys is a two-time all-state selection who signed with Boise State in November.

MERIDIAN WARRIORS
Record: 15-9
State seed: #5; District 3 third/fourth place
Coach: Jeff Sanor, eighth season
Players to watch: PG Triston Fortin, sr.; SG McKoy Thompson, sr.; SG TJ Sanor, sr.; PF Hunter White, sr.
Notes: Returns to state for the fifth time in six years after last year’s absence. … 7-2 vs. 6A state qualifiers, with its only losses coming to Owyhee. … 15-5 vs. Idaho teams. … Started the season 6-8, including 0-4 in conference, before finishing 9-1. It owned the state’s worst defense (61.7 ppg) through 14 games, but held opponents to 49.3 points per game in its last 10 games. … Ranked No. 5 in the final state media poll. … Three players average 10 or more points per game, including Fortin (12.4 ppg, 1.8 steals), Thompson (11.8 ppg, 4.4 rebounds) and Sanor (10.6 ppg), a three-year starter. White leads the team in rebounds (5.6) while adding 7.8 ppg. … Won the last of its four state titles in 2021 and last reached the finals in 2023.

OWYHEE STORM
Record: 20-4
State seed: #1; District 3 champ
Coach: Andy Harrington, fourth season
Players to watch: PG Boden Howell, sr.; PG Logan Haustveit, jr.; PG Cameron Downie, sr.; PG Jayce Allen, sr.
Notes: Defending state champ. … Four-year-old school has won a state trophy each of the previous three years, including titles in 2024 and 2022. … Spent all season as the No. 1-ranked team in the state media poll. … 16-0 vs. Idaho competition, winning by an average of 20.4 points per game. Only two Idaho teams have stayed within 10 points: Boise (eight, five points) and Centennial (four points). … 7-0 vs. 6A state qualifiers. … Played the toughest schedule in Idaho, according to MaxPreps rankings. … Two of its losses came to the No. 2 team in the country (Harvard-Westlake, California) and the No. 19 team (Gonzaga, D.C.), according to USA Today’s rankings. … Enters on a 10-game winning streak. … Fourth-best scoring offense (65.7 ppg) and second-best scoring defense in 6A (50.8 ppg). … Four players signed or committed to a college basketball program, including Howell (Rice), Jackson Rogers (College of Idaho), Allen (Vanguard) and Downie (Northwest). Haustveit also holds offers from Idaho, Utah Valley and UT Arlington. … Howell carries the scoring load at 18.4 ppg, but Haustveit (11.4 ppg, 4.0 assists), Downie (7.2 ppg), Rogers (6.8 ppg) and Allen (6.8 ppg, 3.8 assists) provide plenty of other options. … Shooting 48% from the floor as a team. … Howell was a second-team All-Idaho pick last year, and Haustveit made the All-Idaho first team two years ago as a freshman at Mountain View.

THUNDER RIDGE TITANS
Record: 13-11
State seed: #7; District 4-5-6 runner-up
Coach: TJ Trane, first season
Players to watch: G Deegan Branson, jr.; F Camden Bateman, so.
Notes: First state appearance in program history … 13-11 overall regular season record, 5-3 in conference play … Beat Highland and Rigby in the district tournament to earn a state berth … Branson is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 13 points per game on 44% shooting — 41% from 3. … Unranked the final state media poll.

TIMBERLINE WOLVES
Record: 16-10
State seed: #4; Play-in winner
Coach: Travis Noble, seventh season
Players to watch: G Alex Ko, sr.; F Jacob Heyne, sr.; G Kole Hudson, jr.; G Collin Morris, so.
Notes: Defending state runner-up returns to the tournament for the third-straight year. … Top defense in 6A (48.5 ppg). … Unranked in the final state media poll. … 3-5 vs. 6A state qualifiers. … 7-3 in its last 10 games. … Handed Preston, the top-ranked 5A team, its only loss of the season in December. … Ko was a second-team All-Idaho pick last season and leads the
team in scoring (12.9 ppg) for the third straight season. He also leads the team in assists (2.2) and steals (1.1). … Heyne (12.7 ppg, 5.6 rebounds) does the dirty work in the paint and has committed to play lacrosse at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York (NCAA Division III). … Hudson (9.8 ppg) and Morris (6.8 ppg) provide two dangerous 3-point shooters. Hudson shoots 41% behind the arc, and Morris 39%. … Never won a state title, finishing second in 2024 and 2000.